Datsun Styling Press Release - April 1969

[Mike B]

Here is an old Datsun USA press release dated April 29, 1969 that I got recently. I thought some of you might find it interesting. The picture of the Datsun design center seems familiar, but I can't recall where I may have seen it before. Note the two door sport coupe undergoing testing in the wind tunnel picture.

-Mike

[psdenno]

Very nice! I like to see the old press kits and brochures.

Dennis

[26th-Z]

That is way beyond cool and should throw gunpowder on the endless argument that the 240Z was designed specifically for the U.S. market. Far beyond 'interesting', Mike. The archival library of Her Majesty the 26th bestows gracious honor on you for your posting.

The wind tunnel model looks similar to the 270X project from this 1970 - 1971 Nissan corporate brochure. The 270X project was a 1200cc, transverse engine, front wheel drive layout with an entire access canopy that folded forward; doors, roof and all.

[Mike B]

That is way beyond cool and should throw gunpowder on the endless argument that the 240Z was designed specifically for the U.S. market. Far beyond 'interesting', Mike. The archival library of Her Majesty the 26th bestows gracious honor on you for your posting.

The wind tunnel model looks similar to the 270X project from this 1970 - 1971 Nissan corporate brochure. The 270X project was a 1200cc, transverse engine, front wheel drive layout with an entire access canopy that folded forward; doors, roof and all.

Thanks Chris. That is what I was thinking too.

Your 270X project looks like the drawing to the right of the two guys with shirts and ties in my design center photo "styling concepts for future projects" (image #3 in lower right corner). The model in front of them looks kind of like it too.

-Mike

[26th-Z]

Yea, it sure does. That brochure was the first thing that came to mind when I saw your pictures.

Edited August 4, 2009 by 26th-Z
speeling

[HS30-H]

That's fascinating Mike, thanks for posting it here. I love seeing stuff like that.

I see the old Datsun / Nissan perspective thing going on there, with Dunn / Cheyne mentioning both. That "vast Datsun design center" was of course one of the Nissan design centres.

Judging by the title page, this was for internal consumption at NMC USA rather than for press purposes, yes?

Isn't that Akio YOSHIDA on the right in picture no.3?

[26th-Z]

I would say just the opposite, Alan. Press release, yes - internal consumption, no. Your notice of the 'vast Datsun design center' is the very point I was trying to make some time ago about brand identification. I have no argument with your point of view. Nissan is, of course, the mother corporation. However Datsun was the brand identification in America.

I enjoyed the 'encapsulizing' term that was used to describe the size of the automobiles. Capsule was a household word in America during the '60s describing the extent of spacial engineering. What I found most entertaining was the discussion about the level of consumer sophistication in Japan and the twist that the Japanese cars were designed with the Japanese consumer in mind. A far cry from the more accepted thought that Mr. K personally designed the 240Z for Californian football players who wanted something flashy that they could afford on their meager NFL salariies. :-0

[Mike B]

Judging by the title page, this was for internal consumption at NMC USA rather than for press purposes, yes?

No, this was definitely for external press purposes. This came from the collection of an automotive writer for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1968-1975.

-Mike

[HS30-H]

OK, thanks. I can see that now.

I have to say that this press release effectively says something quite different to what Katayama is often quoted as saying around the same time, doesn't it? Did the press actually take any notice of it?!

I have always found it enormously frustrating that so few people outside Japan take into account the hopes, desires and dreams of the Japanese market during that period. They talk about Japan and its manufacturers as though they were solely preoccupied by export markets ( and the north American market in particular ) when it has always been clear that keeping the Japanese market happy and competing directly with their rivals there was vitally important too. Dunn / Cheyne seem to have taken quite an intellectual approach with this. Impressive.

The mention of the 'American look' is interesting, but I would go further to say that there was also a 'European look' that was a great influence in Japan, and Italian industrial design / styling in particular. There was, and still is, also the curious mirror-facing-mirror effect of designers and stylists being influenced by eachother's work regardless of origin - so you could argue that this 'American look' was influenced by Italian design, which itself was influenced by American design, and so on ad infinitum.

About the Nissan / Datsun thing: Of course I can see where they are coming from ( their perspective ), but I still can't take that 'Datsun design center' quote seriously because they were not designing solely 'Datsun' labelled products there. The fact that they would have been designing cars which would wear a 'Datsun' emblem in some markets would not change the fact that it was a Nissan facility and the people working there were working for Nissan. As far as they would have been concerned, they were designing Nissans, even if some of them would have ended up wearing 'Datsun' emblems.....

[HS30-H]

This talk of a 'Datsun design centre' reminded me of this photo:

[psdenno]

This talk of a 'Datsun design centre' reminded me of this photo:

Isn't that a picture of the little girl who went blind because she always sat too close to the TV, even though her parents warned her not to do so?

Dennis

[26th-Z]

Oh! I didn't see that you posted that picture, Alan. Great picture! Love the 'mod-paisley' blouse! I think that image corresponds to the film I have describing the computer modeling for chassis flex analysis. When the program was run, that picture flexed according to the various loads placed on the chassis to show the chassis stress points and where the metal deflected. Now I have to go back to the film and see if I can find the paisley blouse!

I have been meaning to get back to this thread to discuss the significance of the press release. One of my dryer interests with respect to my collection of Zs has to do with understanding the industrial environment in Japan during the time of the Z. Dan Banks got me into a book; "William R. Gorham; An American Engineer in Japan" which discusses the industrialization of Japan prior to the war and some of the rebuilding after. By the time the S30 project began in the middle '60s Japan had fully industrialized and was competing heavily on the world market. Japan had returned from the ashes of war to an established society with a growing economy. Within the story of the Geortz / Nissan involvement lie clues to how quickly the Japanese car industry was stepping up to world competitive class. By the time the S30 was committed to development, we see an independent society interacting with the rest of western industrialized societies. I think the press release carries that tone of Japanese identity and individuality. "...Japanese car buyers want that kind of look." “The Japanese customer has become so sophisticated…”. “We’re building cars now for the world”. And perhaps a touch of arrogance; “If a new model is acceptable in Japan, it is acceptable in America as well.”

I also enjoy the western perspective of the press release author, Dunn/Cheyne Public relations. It seems some sort of validity was added to the designers’ statements with a short resume describing American educational background and experience. I think this is very telling of the westernized perspective of the S30 design even though the S30 is not mentioned in this press release. However, a couple of theories supportive of the westernized S30 perspective seem to get dispelled. “The size of people simply isn’t a factor any longer.” So much for the idea that the roomy S30 was designed for the six foot American. Of significance is the discussion about the size of the cars indicating the preference of the Japanese, not export markets. However, it is described with a total 1969 American word ‘capsulizing”. What a hoot.

And my favorite coined phrase from Yotsumoto san; “industrial design inducement” when asked about American legislation concerning safety and emission standards.

Edited August 15, 2009 by 26th-Z